Pair of Folding Chairs with Striking Geometric Marquetry in the Oriental Taste, Late 19th Century - 41¼"

A striking pair of late nineteenth century folding chairs in the Savonarola or X-form, richly decorated with intricate geometric marquetry. Each chair is composed of a series of slender curved slats that sweep gracefully from the base to the backrest, creating a sculptural silhouette that feels both rhythmic and architectural. The warm honey-toned wood is animated by fine inlaid bands of contrasting woods forming repeating star and lozenge motifs that run rhythmically along each slat, culminating in a larger geometric star medallion set within the shaped crest of the backrest. 

The crisp linear ornament and geometric vocabulary evoke the fascination with Moorish and Islamic design that swept European decorative arts in the nineteenth century. The chairs may relate to the celebrated marquetry traditions of southern Italy, particularly the workshops of Sorrento, where artisans produced finely inlaid furniture inspired by Moorish and Oriental patterns. At the same time, the geometric vocabulary and striped decorative bands also recall Levantine furniture traditions, suggesting they may equally have been imported from workshops in the eastern Mediterranean, most likely Syria, renowned for this type of geometric inlay that became highly fashionable in Europe around the turn of the twentieth century. 

Their lyrical profiles make elegant companions flanking a console in an entry, bringing texture and pattern to a library, or offering occasional seating beside a fireplace.